Sunday, November 24, 2013What we learned in the Big 12: Week 13
By Jake Trotter

What we learned about the Big 12 in Week 13:

1. The Big 12 title now goes through Stillwater: Before 2011, Oklahoma State had won just one conference title -- a three-way share in 1976 -- in 58 years. After a dominating 49-17 win over Baylor, the Cowboys are just a win over Oklahoma away from claiming their second Big 12 title in three seasons. The Oklahoma State defense has been the best in the Big 12 all year, and Saturday was no different. The Cowboys held the nation’s top-scoring offense to just a field goal through the first three quarters. Cowboys QB Clint Chelf remained red-hot, too, completing his first 12 passes while ultimately accounting for four touchdowns. Oklahoma State now controls its own destiny in the Big 12. And if the Cowboys take Bedlam, they will take the Big 12 title again, too.

Bryce Petty and Baylor's high-powered offense never got on track against Oklahoma State.

2. Baylor’s offense is not invincible: The Bears entered their Big 12 showdown at Oklahoma State leading the nation with an average of 61.3 points per game. Early in the fourth quarter in Stillwater, Baylor had just a field goal. The Bears had been fabulous offensively all season. But Oklahoma State completely shut them down. Baylor’s vaunted vertical passing game was completely nonexistent, as Antwan Goodley and Levi Norwood failed to shake loose from the Cowboys' cornerbacks corps, which for the most part was without All-American candidate Justin Gilbert. The Bears also struggled to get the running game going, as Oklahoma State’s defensive tackles controlled the line of scrimmage. No doubt, not having running back Lache Seastrunk and wideout Tevin Reese hurt. But Baylor had overcome such injuries against Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Against Oklahoma State, the Bears proved to be human. And against a top-notch defense, vulnerable, too.

3. OU might have found its QB of the future: In place of the injured Blake Bell, Trevor Knight was terrific in Oklahoma’s 41-31 win in Manhattan. Knight did most of his damage out of the read-option with Brennan Clay, who had a career day with 200 yards on the ground. But Knight was also precise with his passing, completing 14 of 20 passes, including 7 of 8 in the second half, for 171 yards. His throw of the day came in the first quarter when he found Sterling Shepard in the end zone with a bullet on third-and-goal from the K-State 12. It gave the Sooners a 7-0 lead. The Sooners have gotten inconsistent QB play all season. But the way Knight has performed the past two weeks, it’s possible he just might be OU’s long-term answer at the position.

4. K-State not quite in the Big 12’s top tier: The Wildcats entered their game with the Sooners as a favorite thanks to a four-game winning streak. But even with a freshman QB making his first career start on the road, OU controlled the game from beginning to end, piling up 301 yards on the ground while shutting down a K-State rushing attack that had been so good the last month. No doubt, the Wildcats made a great recovery from a 2-4 start to become bowl eligible. But after going 0-4 against the Big 12’s top four teams, it’s evident they don’t quite belong in the league’s upper tier.

5. Iowa State still better than Kansas: With a spot in the Big 12 cellar on the line, Iowa State throttled the Jayhawks 34-0 for its first conference win of the season. A week after snapping a 27-game conference losing streak, Kansas resorted to its old ways in the frigid Ames weather. Freshman QB Montell Cozart completed only 4 of 12 passes for 20 yards, and Jake Heaps was not much better in relief in the second half. As a result, Iowa State rolled to its first Big 12 shutout since a 41-0 victory over Baylor in 2001. The Cyclones also racked up a season-high 502 yards of offense behind freshman QB Grant Rohach, who had 300 yards passing in the best game of his career. The Jayhawks might have ended their conference losing streak. But as Saturday showed, they are still the worst team in the conference. And apparently, it’s not close, either.